Steve Reich
Music for 18 Musicians
Innova 2007
01. Music for 18 Musicians [01:01:21]
«Who would have thought? From a Midwestern school in Michigan, Grand Valley State University, here comes a really first class New Music Ensemble. They spent a good long time rehearsing and then came to New York City and blew away a full house at the Winter Garden with their performance of Music for 18 Musicians - at dawn - during the 'Bang on a Can Marathon'. They then went on to make a really moving recording of the piece. A gorgeous and stunningly accurate CD of Music for 18 Musicians, from the heartland to the heart. Take a listen.» -Steve Reich
>> rapid / ffact (85mb)>> love it, buy it (CDU)
The story of the year in new music circles. Out in the farmlands of Allendale, Michigan, Bill Ryan, the director of GVSU's new music group, decided to have his all-student, all-volunteer band learn to play Reich's 1976 masterwork - long considered a seminal piece of new music. It was a labor of love - intense, obsessive love - and they not only learned to play the piece, they learned to play it well.
The story of the year in new music circles. Out in the farmlands of Allendale, Michigan, Bill Ryan, the director of GVSU's new music group, decided to have his all-student, all-volunteer band learn to play Reich's 1976 masterwork - long considered a seminal piece of new music. It was a labor of love - intense, obsessive love - and they not only learned to play the piece, they learned to play it well.
7 comments:
Incredible, considerung the history of it's origin.
Alas, Reich's Opus is may be the most moving and magnificent piece of music ever written. It's the definition of the word timeless.
thanx - this is so joyous & hopeful
I saw him perform it in 82' timelass!
regards - tonite
So many thanks for this one, doru! I have heard wonderful things about this recording; happy that you're sharing it. Have you heard the version LIVE IN BUDAPEST issued not long ago? It is fantastic, just propulsive good energy, brisk and tight and shiny, a wonderful alternative to the original recording and preferable, to me, to Reich's own newer performances, in many ways. I think I can post a link if you don't have it.
sure man, let the people know.
i'll grab it tomorrow when i'm back from Kiev. damn is this city stinking cold.
Ok, here is MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS LIVE IN BUDAPEST, performed by Amadinda Percussion Group, without Reich.
http://rapidshare.com/files/70227549/Reich_M18M_Budapest.part1.RAR
http://rapidshare.com/files/70223033/Reich_M18M_Budapest.part2.RAR
(320kps, thx to original sharer, new links)
Here's a short snippet on this recording from Reich's recent interview with Pitchfork Media:
PITCHFORK: People have expressed allegiances to various recordings of "Music for 18 Musicians". The ECM version, the Nonesuch version…
STEVE REICH: And there's one by the Ensemble Modern, which I think is not as good, but has its fans, and there's a very interesting one which is called "Music for 18 Musicians Live in Budapest", on Hungaroton, of all things. I would recommend that you hear it. It is a live performance, but it was done before there was any real proper score. They worked basically by taking it off the recording and working with the very, very sketchy oral notation of my ensemble. These people put it together in the 80s, and they are burning. It is not a recording that leaves things to be desired. There are aspects of it that are absolutely magic. They turn it into something that has a life of its own.
ta ;)
I'm telling you, even before I saw that Reich interview (just yesterday), I thought the live M18 was bad-ass. It is BAD-ASS. It GLISTENS and glows, lord it does. This new one you shared is strong and I am happy to hear it, but oh dear the Budapest performance is so fine. That Pitchfork Reich interview is also really smart and interesting. I kind of liked and respected Reich even more after I read it.
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